This whimsical phenomenon
Confounding all my pro and con
Bamboozles the account again,
And draws me nolens volens in,
Like a prefs'd foldier to espouse
The fceptick's hypothetick caufe,
Who Kent will to a codling lay us
That Crofs-or-pile refin'd the Chaos,
That jovial atoms once did dance,

45

50

With our poor bagatelles to meddle.
Anna is a curb to lawless Louis,
Which as illuftrious as true is;
Her victories o'er defpotick right,
That pallive nonrefisting bite,
Have brought this mystery to light,
Have fairly made the riddle out,
And answer'd all the fqueamish doubt,
Have clear'd the regency on high
From every prefumpt'ous why.

No more I boggle as before,
But with full confidence adore,
Plain as nofe on face expounding
All this intricate dumb-founding,
Which to the meanest conception is
As followeth hereunder, viz.

"Tyrants mount but like a meteor,

"To make their headlong fall the greater."

TO LAURA.

IN IMITATION OF PETRARCH.

Ar fight of murder'd Pompey's head
Cæfar forgets his fex and state,

And whilft his gen'rous tears are shed
Wishes he had at least a milder fate.

At Abfalom's untimely fall

David with grief his conqueft views,
Nay weeps for unrelenting Saul,

And in foft verfe the mournful theme purfues.

The mightier Laura, from Love's darts fecure,
Beholds the thousand deaths that I endure,
Each death made horrid with most cruel pain,
Yet no frail pity in her looks appears,

Her eyes betray no careless tears,

But perfecute me still with anger and disdain.

75

79

14

AN INCOMPARABLE

ODE OF MALHERBE'S*,

Written by him when the Marriage was on foot between the King of France and Anne of Auftria.

Tranflated by a great Admirer of theeafinefsof French Poetry.

Que veut elle dire

What excufe can she make'

Que elle ne vient pas? 8 For not coming away?

Si il ne la poffède

Il s'en va mourir:

Donnons y reméde,
Allons la querir.

If he does not poffefs

He dies with despair:

Let's give him redrefs,

8

12 And go find out the fair. 12

* The translator proposed to turn this ode with all imaginable exactness, and he hopes he has beer pretty just to Malherbe; only in the fixth line he has made a fmall edition of these three words, as they fay, which he thinks is excufable, if we confider the French poet there talks a little too familiarly of the king's paffion, as if the king himself had owned it to him. The tranflator thinks it more mannerly and respectful in Malherbe to pretend to have the account of it only by hearfay. King + Lewis XIV.

TRANSLATION FROM TASSO.

CANTO III. ST. 3.

So when bold mariners, whom hopes of ore
Have urg'd to feek fome unfrequented shore,
The fea grown high and pole unknown, do find
How falfe is ev'ry wave and treach'rous ev'ry wind, 4
If with'd for land fome happier fight descries,
Distant huzzas, faluting clamours, rise,

Each strives to fhew his mate th' approaching bay,
Forgets past danger and the tedious way..

FROM HESIOD.

WHEN Saturn reign'd in heav'n his subjects here
Array'd with godly virtues did appear;

Care, Pain, Old Age, and Grief, were banish'd far,
With all the dread of laws and doubtful war;
But cheerful friendship, mix'd with innocence,
Feasted their understanding and their sense;
Nature abounded with unenvy'd store,

Till their difcreetest wits could ask no more;
And when by Fate they came to breathe their laft
Diffolv'd in fleep their flitting vitals paft,

Then to much happier mansions they remov❜d,

There prais'd their God, and were by him belov'd. 12

MISCELLANIES.

Preface to The Frumentary,

The Frumentary, in Three Cantos,

Orpheus and Eurydice,

Mully of Mountown,

Britain's Palladium,

Preface to The Eagle and the Robin,

The Eagle and the Robin,

Robin Redbreast, with the Beasts,